Convertible seat assembly

ABSTRACT

A seating assembly is made up of both fixed and positionable components. The assembly in a first position provides in a back-to-back relation respective oppositely facing seats. In a second position the assembly provides a substantially horizontal lounge a portion of which is withdrawn from a stored position below the seats. The lounge when withdrawn includes the sitting surface portion of a selected one of the oppositely facing seats as part of the lounge and when stored utilizes such sitting surface portion as part of the selected seat.

This application for patent is a voluntary division and has the sametitle, description, drawings, and inventorship as that of pending patentapplication Ser. No. 11/644,113 filed Dec. 22, 2006.

DESCRIPTION

The construction of the invention is made up of components, which can bearranged either as a back-to-back seat configuration or as aconfiguration providing both a fixed seat and a lounge. Application touse on a recreational boat is used by way of example. The word “lounge”is used here to mean, in general, a seat construction having a leg restas well as a backrest.

The invention construction provides means for converting one of a pairof back-to-back seats to a lounge seat without eliminating an opposingfixed seat. More specifically, the construction of the inventionprovides a back to back seat assembly one side of which comprises afixed seat facing in one direction, typically forward, and the otherside of which comprises a fixed back rest facing in an oppositedirection, typically rearward, and in operative association with thefixed back rest a lounge member which can be positioned in a firstposition to serve as a lounge or in a second position to serve as asitting surface for the rearwardly facing fixed back rest. In the firstposition the lounge member is fully withdrawn from a hollow base whichsupports the back-to-back seats. In the second position part of thelounge member is stored in the bottom base and the remainder is used toprovide a sitting surface for the rearwardly facing fixed backrest allof which gives the seat construction of the invention many advantages.For example (but without limitation), when the invention is used in aboat and positioned with the fixed seat beside the driver of the boat,the inventive seat permits one passenger to serve in a look-out capacityand watch for hazards such as debris, people in the water, or boats,while another passenger can enjoy the convenience and flexibilityprovided by the opposite-facing seat.

The present invention may also be described as providing an assemblyhaving a fixedly positioned hollow base structure and an elongatedlounge member mounted on a support. The lounge member and support areadapted to move together back and forth within the hollow basestructure. An outer end of the top surface of the lounge member can bepositioned to serve as a portion of the lounge member's top surface whenthe lounge member is withdrawn from the base structure and to serve as aseat surface when the lounge member is substantially fully inserted intothe base structure. It is to be noted that substantially the entire topsurface of the lounge member serves as a lounge surface and leg restwhen the lounge member is fully withdrawn from the base structure. Theassembly further includes a pair of fixedly positioned back restsfacing, back to back, in respective forward and rearward directions andadjacent the lower edge of the forward facing one of which resides asecond fixed seat surface elevated above the level of said first seatsurface. Provision is made for the support structure, which supports andmoves with the lounge member back and forth in the hollow base structureto serve as a receptacle accessible through a liftable lid, e.g. thelounge member.

The invention assembly when in use, can, as previously mentioned, bearranged in one configuration in which the lounge member issubstantially fully inserted in the hollow base structure and creates apair of back to back seats facing in the respective rearward and forwarddirections mentioned above. Since application to a recreational boat isused by way of example, reference to a “back to back” orientationassumes that the back rests of the seats face in opposite directionswhatever those directions might be, assuming, by way of example, thatone seat faces forward and the other seat faces rearward with referenceto the path of the boat. In another configuration, in which the loungemember is substantially fully moved outwardly from the hollow base, alounge surface is created on one side of the assembly without disturbingeither of the fixed back rests or the forward facing fixed seat beingused by way of example.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of the invention with thelounge support structure substantially fully inserted and in aback-to-back seating configuration.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly of the invention with thelounge support structure substantially fully withdrawn and in a loungeconfiguration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the assembly of the invention with thelounge member lifted and the interior of the lounge member supportexposed, for purposes of illustration, to show its receptacle.

Referring to the drawings, the seat assembly 10 of the inventioncomprises a hollow base 12 made up of opposed side walls, only one ofwhich (14) is shown, bottom wall 18, and end wall 20. Base 12 supports aseat structure 22 preferably of a unitary construction having a pair ofinclined but oppositely directed fixedly positioned back rests 24 and26, and a fixedly positioned seating surface 28. While not shown indetail, it should be understood that backrests 24, 26 and seatingsurfaces 28, 34 may be uncushioned as shown, or suitably cushioned andappropriately mounted.

From the description given, it should also be understood that hollowbase 23 and seat structure 22 including the mentioned back rests 24, 26and seating surface 28 make up an integral component of the seatingassembly 10 of the invention, in which the back rests 24, 26 are fixed,i.e., non-positionable relative to the seating surface 28.

The other major and positionable component of the invention assembly 10of the invention comprises the positionable lounge component 30.Component 30 is made-up of lounge base 32 the outer end top surfaceportion 34 of which is, for reference, shown as having a length L-2. Theinner top surface portion 36 of lounge base 32 is also shown forreference as having a length L-1. As part of component 30, lounge base32 in the illustrated embodiment is supported on and detachably attachedto a rigid support, illustrated by way of example as a rigid container40, covered by lounge base 32 and which provides the indicated storagespace 44. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art,lounge member 30 should preferably be formed of an appropriatelysupported soft, cushion like, compressible material suited, whenwithdrawn from base 12, for supporting the legs of a person who isresting against backrest 24 as well as, when inserted into base 12, forconforming to the hollow space provided in base 12.

In use, as best seen in FIG. 1, when the forward end and top surfaceportion 36 of lounge component 30 is substantially fully inserted in thehollow base 12, the seating surface 34 of lounge component 30, as partof a back to back seat configuration, provides seating for the back rest24 whereas when lounge component 30 is pulled outwardly from hollow base12, as in FIG. 2, seating surface 34 becomes part of an overalllounge-single seat configuration as in FIG. 2 and with access to thestorage area 44 as in FIG. 3. Also to be recognized here is that storageof lounge component 30 in the hollow space of hollow base 12 isfacilitated by providing for the seating surface 28 to be at anappropriate higher elevation E-1 than the elevation E-2 of seatingsurface 34. The difference in height will of course vary with theapplication, size of boat, and the like and the amount of hollow spaceneeded to accommodate the lounge component 30 when it is fully insertedinto base 12.

While especially intended for use on a recreational boat it isrecognized that other uses for the convertible seat assembly of theinvention will be found, for example, in mobile homes, campers, lawnfurniture and the like.

Further, while not shown in detail, it is recognized that the operationof withdrawing and inserting the lounge component 30 out of and intohollow base 12 could be done electrically, hydraulically orpneumatically as well as manually. Therefore, the appropriate seat orremotely mounted electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic drive and controlsystem 50, including an appropriate on/off switch 51, valve or the like,an appropriate electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic speed control 52, asindicated in the drawings is meant to teach those skilled in the art howmovement of the lounge assembly could be done electrically,hydraulically or pneumatically.

The above detailed description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention sets forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor forcarrying out the invention at the time of filing this application and isprovided by way of example and not as a limitation. Accordingly, variousmodifications and variations obvious to a person of ordinary skill inthe art to which it pertains are deemed to lie within the scope andspirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

1. A seat assembly made up of both fixed and moveable components and adapted in a first position to provide in a back-to-back relation respective oppositely first and second direction facing seats and in a second position to locate a sitting surface portion of said second direction facing seat outwardly of a backrest position of said second direction facing seat, said seat assembly including: (a) a fixed integral component providing: (i) said first direction facing seat; (ii) a backrest portion of said second direction facing seat; and (iii) a base structure operative to support both said first direction facing seat and said backrest portion of said second direction facing seat; and (b) a moveable component operatively associated with said base structure and which includes a body supporting portion of said second direction facing seat adapted in one withdrawn position to provide a sitting surface portion of said second direction facing seat and in another extended position a body supporting surface position moved outwardly of said backrest portion of said second direction facing seat.
 2. A seat assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said base structure is hollow and adapted to serve as a storage receptacle.
 3. A seat assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sitting surface portion of said second direction facing seat is at a lower level than that of a sitting surface portion of said first direction facing seat.
 4. A seat assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sitting surface portion of said second direction facing seat is incorporated as part of a positionable lid providing access to said receptacle.
 5. A seat assembly comprising: (a) a fixed component providing: i. a forward direction facing seat; ii. a backrest portion of a rearward direction facing seat; and iii. a base structure operative to support said forward direction facing seat and said backrest portion of said rearward direction facing seat; and (b) a movable component mounted on said base structure and providing a substantially horizontal surface portion adapted in one position to be utilized as the seat portion of said rearward direction facing seat and in another position as a position of lounge formed by said movable component. 